Looming Cybersecurity Battle: Who Protects U.S. Pipelines? (Corrected)

America’s appetite for natural gas has reignited a long-standing debate over which federal body should oversee the security of natural gas and oil pipelines.

With the U.S. increasingly reliant on natural gas for power, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission wants the Energy Department to take over control of pipeline security from the Transportation Security Administration, an agency under the Department of Homeland Security.

While that realignment would take an act of Congress, two FERC members argue the Energy Department is better positioned to impose mandatory cybersecurity requirements on pipelines and ensure they’re enforced, replacing the TSA’s voluntary guidelines.

“A pipeline ...